Some retailers are devastated; others have cleaned up, reopened

By Craig Young Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
09/24/2013 11:06:29 PM MDT

Ida Suppes, owner of Sunny Jim's Candy store, carries damaged items out of her store recently in Loveland. This month's flood caused severe damage to her property, but she hopes to be able to reopen the store by Christmas.
(
Lilia Munoz
)

The Loveland businesses on West Eisenhower Boulevard don't want you to believe the "closed" signs.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has posted lighted message boards along U.S. 34's route through Loveland, warning of the highway's closure between the city and the Big Thompson Canyon.

"It's been pretty much like a morgue out here," said Slick De Selms, owner of Canyon Acoustics, a guitar shop at 4233 W. Eisenhower Blvd.

It's true that some businesses west of Jamoka Joe's are still dealing with damage from the Sept. 12-13 flooding of the Big Thompson River and remain closed.

But those a little closer to town that suffered no damage or that have cleaned up and reopened are now feeling starved for customers.

Missing the Traffic

Williams, owner of the 8-year-old coffee shop, estimated that about half of her business came from people driving into or out of the canyon.

"I'm at about a third of what I normally do, maybe less," she said. Jamoka Joe's didn't suffer any flood damage, she said, but was closed for four days after the flood.

She said she is determined to press on through this dry spell. "I'm not going anywhere," she said.

De Selms said his business had some water damage in the basement, and he closed for two days.

He said he and another business owner nearby called the Transportation Department to talk about the signs but hasn't received a satisfactory response.

On Wednesday morning, a department spokeswoman said crews would make changes as soon as possible to the three signs in Loveland, adding "LOCAL BUSINESS OPEN."

De Selms said he's doing everything he can to drive traffic to his store, which is near other operating businesses such as Esh's Surplus Market, Buckhorn Brewers and the Bear's Den.

"I'll try to do some innovative little things to try to pique some interest," he said.

Farther west, the story grows more grim.

Sunny Jim's

Ida Suppes, who has owned the landmark Sunny Jim's candy store at 5431 W. Eisenhower for almost 25 years, said she's glad to be alive.

Suppes lives behind the shop, and she told a harrowing tale of escape with her daughter, a neighbor and four dogs the night of Sept. 12.

Water was running over the hood of her Yukon GMC as she tried to drive away. The heavy vehicle was starting to float when one of her tires miraculously found a dry patch of pavement on the road, she said.

"I'll never get that image out of my mind as long as I live," Suppes said. "It was the grace of God, and I'm not joking."

Her candy shop suffered severe water and flood damage, and she lost many of her supplies, including a cold room that she'd just stocked with $20,000 worth of candy and nuts to use for holiday orders.

But like so many other Loveland business owners, she's working sunup to sundown to rebuild.

"I've got to get it cleaned up and open," she said.

With a parking lot still full of mud, Westside Feed at 5623 W. Eisenhower Blvd. in Loveland reopened Sept. 17 after suffering flood damage from the Big Thompson River.
(
Craig Young
)

Suppes isn't considering shutting down. "The thought never crossed my mind," she said. She hopes to reopen by December.

With a patchwork of open and closed businesses in the affected area, the best bet for interested customers is to not assume a store is closed, but to call ahead and check.

Other Businesses

Here is a sampling of other businesses that are dealing with the flood:

God's Country Cowboy Church, 5505 W. Eisenhower Blvd.

The high-water mark inside the church was 5 feet, 6 inches up the wall, according to Mitzi Deal, wife of pastor Greg Deal.

The building has been gutted, and the church is rebuilding quickly, she said. "We hope to be open and resume church meetings, probably the first of November."

Family Member Animal Hospital, 5617 W. Eisenhower Blvd.

Veterinarian Dr. Kay Gunckel was cleaning out the water and mud last week, operating on power from a generator and hoping for phone service to be restored.

This week she's open for business.

Westside Feed, 5623 W. Eisenhower Blvd.

The store filled Dumpsters with ruined animal feed and had to rip out several inches of drywall from the lower walls, said manager Jay Koelzer.

With a parking lot still clogged with mud, the store opened Sept. 17.

Koelzer said mom-and-pop stores operate on tight margins to begin with, so experiencing a disaster poses new challenges.

"It's encouraging to see a lot our long-term customers come in and say 'we're here; we're going to support you," he said. "The big unknown is how much business we lose from Estes Park."

Canyon Collectables, 5641 W. Eisenhower Blvd.

"We're closed," said Kay Dykes, owner of the flea market for 21 years. "It devastated us."

The flood sent 3½ feet of water, and 2½ feet of mud in places, into the main level of the building, she said.

A second level also was inundated, leaving only the top level untouched.

"It actually pushed the glass cases and the wall out the front door," Dykes said.

"Out of the 110 dealers that had spaces at that store, 90 of them lost nearly everything they had," she said. And none had flood insurance.

Dykes said her family, the dealers and volunteers have been shoveling mud "for 10 days straight." She expressed gratitude for all the help she has received, including from city of Loveland crews that hauled away flood debris.

She said she doesn't know if the building, which she doesn't own, will be salvageable. But she plans to reopen somewhere, somehow, maybe next spring.

Sonic Drive-In, 857 S. Lincoln Ave.

"We got some slight water and mud inside the store, but really it wasn't that bad," said manager Travis Babcock.

After clearing the parking lot of mud, the drive-in restaurant just south of the Big Thompson River reopened Saturday, he said.

O'Reilly Auto Parts, 885 S. Lincoln Ave.

Water and mud inside the store ruined some merchandise, manager Andrew Johnson said, but the store reopened Sept. 17. "We could have been open Monday if we had all the roads going," he said.

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